Chapter 8 : Magical Beginnings and House Debates

We strolled for a bit until we arrived at a garden nestled in the heart of the campus.

Miss Victoria stopped and said " attention! The exam will take place on an individual basis . We'll meet in the classroom 1 . To get to the classroom you need to go the second door on the left . On the other side of the garden. "

Haley emerged and inquired, " excuse me , Miss lapis "

" Yes ? "

" Is the fountain behind your back magical? "

She replied " oh , 'the meek dame '? Nice spot. You've got a good magical feeling. Young lady ! . The statue in the middle is far older than the fountain itself. Legends say that it came from Cordoba with one of the founders ... And that it contains evil magic...but don't get too scared . It's been around here forever , even when I was a student. 

And not once was it Activated . Despite a lot of horror stories sophomores will tell you . I don't want to ruin all the fun for older kids . 

But according to them , every doorknob in this castle has a dark secret.

Alright, applicants let's focus on the exam , shall we? . Second door on the left , as I've said it . You can enter when i say ' next ' . Anyone who tries to peek in on the exam will be sent home . 

Let's get started. Good luck " 

She started to depart, with me just observing her recede. Oh . Man , I know I should be focused on magic....but she is so fucking gorgeous . 

Damn it, focus James , this is my chance to start a new life . As a freaking wizard .

Look out . Victoria! Her I go . I paused briefly, and then noticed a girl waving in my direction. Oh it's Haley . I promised her that I would catch up with her after getting off the train . I need to talk to her .

" James. There you are. Get in the line for exam , you can go after me "

" Hey Haley , there's a line already? "

" Of course. I am seventh, we agreed back on the platform, just in case, it was when you were away .

By the way, where have you been ? Did you find your friend? "

 I replied" yes , she wanted to warn me about the exam . "

" About what exactly? "

I kept explaining" Sam told me that we only have one shot. Either we pass, or it's over . They will erase your memory of magic and nortale. "

Haley stand and the shock was evident on her " wait....are you sure? "

" That's what I've heard " 

" No ...no way ! I don't believe this , it can't be real . I only just learned about magic. There Are still so many secrets to discover ! I....." 

I gently placed my hand on her shoulders to offer comfort. " Haley , calm down. Don't cry "

She began speaking rapidly. " I cannot...lo...se the world of magic now . You have no idea what this chance mean to me..I..... can't...."

I brought her closer to me and hugged her. " Haley . "

" Wha... What are you ..."

" Calm down , you won't lose it if you just keep yourself together now . I found out that magic is powered by passion!

 Just focus on something that you are passionate about and bring the heat . Believe in yourself, because I believe in you! " 

Haley eased up a bit. ("He's so kind to me.") Oh, I heard her thoughts once more. " thank you James. I will try to.."

 " that's great Haley , I believe in you"

" Ahmmm, James ? Could you... could you please let me go ? Everyone staring at us " 

I backed up" yeah, sure! He_he ... I'm sorry"

" Cuddling with random girls is your thing now ? "

I replied" only if the girl is you " 

Haley blushed" oh. thank you, again "

" No problem. I'll go find out if there Are more more surprises go come " 

I left Haley and began searching for information. As I wandered, I overheard two girls in a heated argument. One was a black girl with a graceful figure, while the other was an Asian chick, undeniably stunning.

The black girl began to speak. " How can you dream of getting into leonheart? They're losers. What will you achieve with kindness and self_sacrifice? These are not fairy tales, but life . Lily . "

This lily girl replied " how can you be happy if for the sake of success...you have to sacrifice friends . Cheat, lie and deceive ? " 

The black girl then turned to me and spoke. " hey , you "

" Who , me ? "

" Yes , you , arbitrate us. "

Then lily said " we're arguing about houses , which one is better. I think that there's nothing better than getting into lionheart and ... "

The other girl interjected, disrupting her flow." and I believe that adderin is a cut above my other . All successful magicians have been a part of our house. And what do you think? "

I couldn't make sense of what they were arguing about. " who are you anyway? What are these ' houses ' ? " 

 lily replied " sorry, we seem to get too caught up in the argument. My name is Lily . And my friend is Naomi , what's your name " 

I replied" I am James pogger, nice to meet you both "

Then Naomi said " sorry for jumping on you like that, James . We were discussing the houses we want to enter and argued a lot "

" No problem, so what houses are we talking about? "

Lily appeared surprised and uttered, " have you never heard of the four great houses ? You are probably not one of the hereditary magicians, right ? "

Then Naomi said " I have heard that most magicians only learn about magic when they are invited to study it . Is that so "

I answered" yeah isn't how it should be for everyone? "

Then lily uttered" actually yes , rules are for everyone. But our families are hereditary purebred sorcerers . We know some of the secrets of this world since childhood "

" Hmmmmm, it turned out that you have an advantage over us "

 Naomi responded " just a little. Only in theory . Purebred children, like other magicians, are strictly forbidden to practice magic before entering the wizarding academy "

" Oh, I see . And yet , what are the houses ? " 

Lily Started to explain " the academy was founded by four powerful sorceresses , each has created its own house and taught students as they saw it "

Then Naomi completed " house selection is the most important thing in nortale! You choose your future connection "

Then both of them started speaking simultaneously." friends.... reputation...and drinking pals "

" Incredibly interesting, but don't think we have a bigger concern right now ? "

Lily asked" What are you talking about? What concern could be more important than the house? "

I replied " entrance examination , how do you plan to get in the house if you don't get to the academy? " 

Naomi replied " that's easy, consider that we have already entered "

 " Why such confidence? " 

She replied" pureblood wizards always do good on exams . The magic in our blood , we won't have any problems on the exam . So the house is what's most important. "

" I'm glad for you, but it won't help me . " 

I was speaking until i heard "next "

Oh , crap , I've completely lost track of the line . Should I ask someone or should i just go 

But I heard " hey , who was after Haley " 

" Oh shit, it's me " 

Then lily said" good luck . James " 

I headed towards the classroom. Here we go. I can feel goosebumps right now. My first magic exam. Come on, James. Let's not make it our last one. Let's go.